ITU/95-5
9 May 1995
ORIGINAL: English
 World Telecommunication Day
17 May 1995

Telecommunications and the Environment
"Telecommunications and the environment" is the theme of this year’s World 
Telecommunication Day to take place on 17 May 1995. This year marks at one and the 
same time the 130th anniversary of the founding of the International Telecommunication 
Union , the Radiocommunication Centenary, and the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.
In his message for the day, ITU Secretary-General, Pekka Tarjanne, declares that 
"Communications and computers - the technologies at the heart of the information revolution 
- will save energy and natural resources through more efficient production techniques as well 
as better monitoring and control of our natural and manmade environments" (see annex).
The theme is attracting increasing attention from governments as the world approaches the 
next millennium. Telecommunications play an indispensable role in many areas of 
environmental monitoring and this contribution to environmental management is certain to 
increase.

In light of the above and the Rio Declaration enshrined in Agenda 21, the ITU, at its World 
Telecommunication Development Conference (Buenos Aires, March 1994), adopted a major 
resolution, namely "Telecommunication Support for the Protection of the Environment".
The resolution sets out the role that telecommunication and information technologies will 
play in protecting and preserving the environment through the deployment of this technology. 
It affirms the use of remote sensing satellites to monitor and survey air, river, harbour and 
sea pollution as well as wildlife, the ozone layer(s), CFC emissions and deforestation. The 
resolution stresses that telecommunication and information technologies respect the 
environment and make it possible to relocate industries that depend on them away from 
urban congestion and redistribute them into rural areas.
The ITU believes that telecommunications can serve as a catalyst in promoting 
environmental policies worldwide. To this end, the ITU works actively to safeguard the planet 
for future generations by collaborating with the World Meteorological Organization, the 
United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and its other sister organizations within 
the UN system. On 5 June 1995, UNEP will celebrate World Environment Day with the 
theme "We the peoples: United for a better world".

The World Telecommunication Day is celebrated in various ways at the national level. These 
include: symposia organized around this theme as well as televised discussions, radio 
programmes, press articles and open days. Information on specific programmes of activities 
may be obtained from the national telecommunications administrations of the ITU’s 184 
Member countries.

  The ITU is an intergovernmental organization, within which the public and private sectors 
cooperate for the development of telecommunications and harmonization of national 
telecommunication policies. The ITU adopts international regulations and treaties governing 
all terrestrial and space uses of the frequency spectrum as well as the use of the 
geostationary-satellite orbit, within which countries adopt their national legislation; it develops 
standard to ensure the interconnection of telecommunication systems on a worldwide scale 
regardless of the type of technology used; it also fosters the development of 
telecommunications in developing countries.